No. 14 Rutgers women's lacrosse matches multiple program records in Senior Day win over Penn State
The Rutgers women’s lacrosse team secured the most wins in a single season for the program since 1999 with an 18-13 win over Penn State. The program did so in front of the biggest crowd this season at SHI Stadium on Busch campus.
The No. 14 Scarlet Knights (13-3, 3-2) opened the Senior Day match with a 3-1 run. Both teams traded goals for the remainder of the first quarter and were tied at 5 after the period.
Senior attacker Marin Hartshorn opened the second quarter with 2 consecutive goals to secure a hat trick. Junior midfielder Cassidy Spilis and graduate student attacker Taralyn Naslonski both netted their second goals of the game to put Rutgers up by three.
Sydney Wolfington and the Nittany Lions’ (6-8, 0-5) leading scorer Kristin O’Neill closed the Knights' lead to 1 goal at halftime.
Sophomore goalkeeper Sophia Cardello amassed eight saves in the first half en route to a career-high 18 for the game. Cardello saved the scoreline, with Penn State totaling 16 more shots than Rutgers.
Straight out of the locker room, Naslonski and junior midfielder Ashley Campo secured hat tricks while junior attacker Jenna Byrne netted her 2nd of the game.
Naslonski is now the program's all-time leading scorer with 174 career goals. She also holds the program record for total career points with 247. She sits 13 points behind the Knights’ single-season record for points.
Setting a precedent for the quarter and the rest of the game, Rutgers extended its lead to 4 at the end of the third.
Spilis scored the final goal of the period and the opening goal of the fourth quarter. She had a game-high 5 goals, and her season total sits at 56. The Midseason All-American tied Marilyn Reilly for the third-highest scorer in a single season. If she can score 5 more against Ohio State, she will set a program record for goals in a single season.
The Knights only allowed 1 goal in the third and went on a 4-3 scoring run to put the game to bed. This win marks the best home record for the program since 1999. The team will wrap up its regular season in Columbus, Ohio, against the Buckeyes (9-6, 2-3) this Thursday at 8 p.m.
“This team was fired up to play for one another and these seniors,” said head coach Melissa Lehman. “It was a great atmosphere today … they were a really athletic and fast team, but at the end of the day, our defense — anchored by (Cardello) — put on a show and secured this win for us.”
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